Simona Halep wins 2018 French Open, defeats Sloane Stephens
By Harry Floyd
Simona Halep wins a hard-fought title at the 2018 French Open. She breaks her runner-up streak at Grand Slam events.
World number one Simona Halep is all smiles and pure emotion after her 2018 French Open title-win. The Romanian tennis star entered Roland Garros as the previous year’s runner-up. She had also finished second to Caroline Wozniacki earlier this year at the Australian Open. A Grand Slam singles title had eluded her up until this point. Her finals meeting with American Sloane Stephens was one for the ages. Stephens was not going away easily.
Halep wins a difficult three-set match over the American tennis star, taking home the French Open title 3-6 6-4 6-1.
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This win means a lot for Halep. While she is largely considered the player to beat in women’s singles as of late, she had yet to earn that prestigious Grand Slam singles title. Stephens, who is just 25-years-old and a peer of the Romanian great, shocked the sport when she won the 2017 US Open over Madison Keys. She also defeated Keys in the semifinals at this year’s French Open in order to meet Halep in the finals.
Both Halep and Stephens represent a new generation of players taking over the WTA Tour. Women’s singles tennis is experiencing a massive resurgence in terms of talent right now. That isn’t going away anytime soon. If this year’s French Open, and previous action between Wozniacki and Halep at Melbourne Park, is any indication, the sport will continue to see young talent make headlines.
Simona Halep joins an elite club of Grand Slam title winners in women’s singles tennis. She defeats Sloane Stephens to win the 2018 French Open.
Next: Sofia Kenin: Rising WTA Star
Congratulations all around to both of the fantastic players in the women’s singles final. Stephens proved that she remains one of the best in the sport and Simona Halep lived up to the billing. This one seems as though it’s been a long time coming. The world number one says that she has been dreaming about this moment. On her way to the title, she ousted the likes of Angelique Kerber and Garbine Muguruza among others. The only set she had dropped before her match with Stephens came against Kerber in the quarterfinals. With a Grand Slam title now on her resume, the sky is the limit for Simona Halep. Stay tuned to see if she can continue this stellar play into the second half of the 2018 WTA Tour.